10 Artists In 10 Words

I know, I know, the whole of February AND March just went by without me reviewing anything.

Not to say I haven't been listening to a lot of music - I just haven't been able to get words to screen in a coherent review, due to uni swallowing my life life's busy-ness. But just to show you guys how much I love you and to give you a little something to read as I collect my thoughts on my recent listenings, I thought it might be rather fun to present you with not one, but TEN micro-reviews. In one post. Coz I'm that awesome  guilty.

So. This is not a definitive list of 'best artists'. It's not even my personal top 10. Rather, here are 10 musical groups/solo acts that I think everyone needs to have an opinion on. But because I have an assignment due on Wednesday for your convenience, I've summed up their reputation in just 10 words each. Goodbye sentence structure...

10 ARTISTS IN 10 WORDS

1. The Beatles

Mop tops + fearless musical experimentation = worldwide obsession. YEAH YEAH YEAH!!!



2. Frank Sinatra

Incredible lungs. Brassy blasts. Tweaks heart-strings. Kicks Buble's ass.



3. Elvis Presley

10 words cannot outline this man's influence. Iconic. Iconic. Iconic.


4. Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

New Jersey gangsters sing four-part harmony with THAT falsetto.

5. Simon and Garfunkel

Poetry sung a third apart. Garfunkel clearly avoiding Simon's hairdresser.

6. Queen

Bulsara becomes Mercury. Opera meets rock. "Bohemian Rhapsody" blows minds.

7. U2

Loud-mouthed political activist riles crowds with ranty rock anthems.

8. Coldplay

College mates create stadium-fillers. Then wear elephant suits. WHY.




9. Mumford and Sons

Poetry and adrenalin. Shirts and waistcoats. The banjo becomes cool.



10. Adele

She loved. She lost. She ruptured a vocal chord complaining.

The Beatlemaniac's guide to time travel

Album: The Beatles 1962 Complete
Artist: The Beatles
Label: Berne Convention Records
Release date: August 11, 2011

RATING: 3/5 stars


I'll be honest: "live" albums are not my cup of tea. I prefer to pay to hear the artist, not the screaming crowd, thank you. But I nearly jumped out of my seat in excitement when I stumbled upon this one during a random iTunes trawl - and not least because of the moptops on the front. Being a self-confessed Beatlemaniac, I've read all about the band's pre-Ringo days in Hamburg; the long, sweaty 8-12 hour sets of Carl Perkins and Buddy Holly covers, with a few originals thrown in for good measure and the band dosed up with amphetamines to keep them awake. So you will understand that an album titled The Beatles 1962 Complete is a tantalising time machine for such a fan as I.

I wasn't disappointed - although I probably should have been. The sound quality is awful, as can be expected for 1962. One can only just distinguish the distinctive Liverpuddlian voices amongst clanging guitars, crashing cymbals and general fuzzy ambience, but my jaw still dropped. While there's endearingly lively renditions of classics that made it onto later LPs, such as "I Saw Her Standing There" and the now legendary "Twist and Shout", the majority of this 30-track compilation is an array of relatively unknown Beatles performances such as "Mr. Moonlight", "Your Feet's Too Big", "Lend Me Your Comb" and the Latin surprise, "Besame Mucho". Of course I KNOW The Beatles were/are extraordinarily talented musicians, but it is also well known that they exploited every last recording technique to get the exact sound they wanted from the studio. This, however, is The Beatles in the raw - and from the offset it's obvious just how professional and precisely rehearsed their untouched sound was. It is impossible not to be impressed.

I'll admit it: a lot of this album's appeal for me is curiosity, dipping into the sounds and atmosphere of a whole other world that I have previously only heard about. Granted, if your acquaintance with The Beatles is limited you need to listen to all their albums ASAP it's most likely this album won't mean much to you. It is, however, a must for any seasoned Beatles fan.

(from here)

Is it worth my $$$? - Despite my intense affection for the boyish talent in these recordings, I'm not going to reach into my pocket for the album...the scrappy quality is not something to listen to for pleasure. But as a trip into happy nostalgia for the Baby Boomers or back in time for us Gen X, Y or Zs, this album is well worth the listen.

Listen to: Oh gosh I can't decide, they're all so quirkily lovely...head over HERE and take your pick of any.